WBZ-TV (NBC) Commercials - December 4, 1987

It’s Christmas in (just barely) July at the Basement! Tonight’s offering comes to us from WBZ-TV the evening of December 4, 1987. I apologize for the audio quality at the beginning.

0:00 to 0:15 – McDonald’s and 7Up Sponsorships

0:16 to 0:46 - 7Up “The Feeling of Christmas” (Wrong! Eggnog with a sprinkling of nutmeg has the feeling of Christmas)

0:47 to 1:16 – McDonald’s “The Fry Step” (in their original 1973 incarnation, the Fry Kids were called “Gobblins”, so called for their tendency to steal other McDonaldland characters’ French fries. They were last seen in McDonald’s commercials in 1996. http://tinyurl.com/h6lnwd3)

1:18 to 1:48 – 7Up “Countdown to Christmas” (These days, you can get original copies of this poster for $8-10 on eBay. http://tinyurl.com/jp5sy23. Here’s the obligatory Dinosaur Dracula article on the poster: http://tinyurl.com/hqyctge)

1:49 to 2:18 – Puffalumps

2:19 to 2:33 – Halls “Halls of Medicine”

2:35 to 2:48 – Wendy’s “Furskins” (“Furskins” was Cabbage Patch Dolls’ designer Xavier Roberts (a 1985 profile of whom you can read here: http://tinyurl.com/jc96fou) attempt to make lightning strike twice. Reminiscent of Roberts’ rural Georgia upbringing, “Furskins” was discontinued sometime in the late 1980s. Today, you can get the Wendy’s set for about $15 on eBay http://tinyurl.com/gmrtpm6)

2:49 to 2:58 – “Smurfs”/ALF promo

3:01 to 4:00 – McDonald’s “Star Wish” (It’s a nice ad, but, as far as I’m concerned, this is the definitive McDonald’s Christmas commercial:    • McDonalds 80's Christmas Commercial Ice Sk...  )

4:02 to 4:22 – “Our House”/”Family Ties”/”My Two Dads” promo

4:23 to 4:53 – Burger King “Reindeer” (Rodney and Friends was a line of stuffed reindeer from Hallmark that, so far as I can tell, was in production as late as 2014. Rodney the Reindeer should in no way be confused with Rodney the Repo Reindeer http://tinyurl.com/zwwj8qc)

4:53 to 5:22 – WBZ/Children’s Hospital Fund Telethon (that’s legendary local sportscaster Bob Lobel, Jack Williams, Bruce Stevens, and somebody whose name I don’t know. Lobel retired from WBZ in 2008----and now works as the public announcer at Fenway Park on Saturdays, Williams retired in 2015, and Stevens now works as a fill-in host on WBZ 1030 AM. Fans of “Get Fuzzy” may recognize Lobel from a 2005 libel suit filed against strip creator Darby Conley following the publication of a strip that insinuated that Lobel had done the news while intoxicated. Here’s the strip in question: http://tinyurl.com/gov9s8v)

5:23 to 5:27 – WBZ News Update

5:27 to 5:57 – 7Up (repeat of 0:16)

5:58 to 6:27 – Crayola Creativity Set

6:28 to 6:57 – Cinnamon Toast Crunch (In case you’re wondering, the other two non-Wendell bakers are Bob---the squat, black haired baker---and Quello---the tall baker. Neither has been seen in Cinnamon Toast Crunch commercials since 1991. http://tinyurl.com/j8p6zsb)

6:58 to 7:28 – NBC promo feat. Dr. Benjamin Spock (tl, dw: TV is good because it tells stories and kids can watch it for free. I get the impression they’d have had Marshall McLuhan do this ad if he hadn’t been dead since 1980.)

7:29 to 7:58 – Sunny Delight “Masked Avenger” (in his adult years, 7:41 was the kid’s default pickup line)

7:59 to 8:28 – McDonald’s

8:29 to 8:43 – Halls “Halls of Medicine” (repeat of 2:19)

8:44 to 9:04 – ALF/Eye on the Sparrow promo (“Eye on the Sparrow” was based on the true story of Ethel and James Lee, the first blind couple to legally adopt in the US. The child, Christopher Lee, was himself blind. Later on, he developed schizoaffective disorder and became a ward of the state at the age of 14. You can read the rest of his story here: http://tinyurl.com/p4myrhw)

9:14 to 9:14 – Alvin and the Chipmunks/Fraggle Rock Promo

9:15 to 9:25 – JJ Starbuck promo feat. “Golden Girls” (That’s actor Dale Robertson staring back at you at 9:23. Primarily known as a Western actor, he also starred in “Dallas” and “Dynasty”. He died in 2013.)

9:25 to 9:59 – WBZ News Update feat. Jean Blake